Sail Away
by deathXbeforeXdisco
Summary: Clary Fray and Jace Herondale are the best of friends, and extremely competitive. What happens when a boat sailing race goes wrong and they end up stranded? AU. Disclaimer: I don't own The Mortal Instruments, Cassandra Clare does.
1. Chapter 1

"Oh, c'mon, what could possibly go wrong?" Clary pleaded with her mother.

Jocelyn's face was tight, worry and fear evident in her green eyes—the same ones her daughter had inherited.

"Clary—"

"Jocelyn, she'll be within a few metres of me at all times, if anything _were_ to happen I would be there to help in seconds. You know I would never do anything, or suggest anything that would put Clary in a dangerous situation."  
Clary looked gratefully over at her best friend, Jace, as he gave her mother his winning smile and reassuring eyes.

"We will have life jackets, flares, EPIRBSs—All the essentials, but you needn't worry, we won't need them," he continued, not missing a beat.

Jocelyn's eyes returned to her daughter, Clary's. She searched her face, staring into the deep emerald eyes that pleaded desperately with her. She looked over to Jace, and saw the confidence and calmness in his entire body. She could see how much the two wanted to do this.

"Josie, they'll be fine. They've been around and in the water for years. They're sensible kids," Luke, Clary's stepfather assured her softly, placing his hand on her shoulder.

Jocelyn turned to face Luke and sighed, knowing when she was beaten.

"Okay, but _please_ be safe out there," she begged the two teenagers in front of her.

Clary's eyes widened with shock and elation.

"Are you serious?!" she squealed. "You're going to let me go?"

"Yes."

Clary squealed and hugged her mother and Luke tightly.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" she cried in elation before turning to her best friend.

He gave her a warm smile, showing off the slight chip in one of his front teeth.

"You ready for the race of a lifetime, Fray?" he teased her lightly, his golden eyes sparkling.

Her green eyes narrowed playfully.

"You're on Herondale."

Clary and Jace raced out of the apartment building and straight to Taki's, their favourite restaurant, where they met up with their friends.

"So, how did it go?" Isabelle asked them excitedly.

Clary and Jace pondered for a moment before smiles broke out.

"We're on baby," Clary laughed, sliding into the booth next to her gorgeous friend. Isabelle Lightwood was stunning. She had endless legs and a lithe body that was extraordinarily complimented by her impeccable fashion sense and long, raven hair.

"Okay, I would like to formally announce myself as our resident bookie, so if anyone would like to place their bets on who wins, I will be open until the hour before they race," Magnus declared.

Magnus Bane was an enigma all of his own. He had Asian features with his olive complexion and slight slant of his bright, green eyes—giving him a cat-like appearance at times. He was also flamboyant and unbelievably gay. He was never without glitter or eye liner. So naturally he chose Alec as his companion.

Alec Lightwood was Isabelle and Jace's brother, and about as straight edge and uptight as they come. Alec was gay as well, however you wouldn't know it to look at him. He rarely wore anything other than black and he would not be caught dead with glitter or make up. He was tall, near 6'3 and had dark, brooding eyes that rarely softened except for when he was with Magnus. They were complete opposites and totally in love.

"I would like to place 100 on myself, thanks Magnus," Jace said with a charming grin.

He slid in next to Simon who scoffed.

"You would," he sneered playfully.

Simon Lewis was a complete geek. He loved everything Star Wars, Star Trek, Firefly, World of Warcraft, Dungeons and Dragons, Warhammer… Everything you could think of he had played it, tried it, read it or cosplayed it. He was scrawny with messy brown hair and glasses that he was constantly pushing back up his nose.

"Jealousy is unbecoming, Simon," Jace teased back, his mouth stretching into a crooked grin.

Jace Herondale was basically all gold, with long-ish gold hair that curled slightly around the nape of his neck, golden, sun kissed skin and tawny-gold eyes. He had spent many hours playing football, soccer, basketball, baseball, sailing, archery, horse riding—basically doing any physical activity he could. He had built up a substantial amount of muscle and often used it to win girls over. He was cocky and smart mouthed but loyal to those he considered family. His eyes gazed over everyone at the table, this was his family; Izzy, Magnus, Alec, Simon and they finally rested on Clary.

Her eyes caught his as they gleamed mischievously. Clary Fray was his closest friend. The day he had moved in with the Lightwoods when he was 9, she had been there with Izzy. Izzy had not wanted him, saying that she already had one smelly brother and she didn't need another one 'stinking up the place'. Clary had stayed behind while Izzy stomped up to her room, shrieking. Clary had given him a smile and told him that she would come around. They played together that whole day and when Izzy finally poked her head out, she came and joined them; creating a friendship with bonds that could not be broken.

Clary had flame red hair that was nearly always a mess of curls and bright green eyes that sparkled at any given moment. There was a small smattering of freckles over her nose and cheeks that complimented her pale skin beautifully.

"Will you be using the same boats?" Alec asked them quietly.

"Yeah, definitely. I'll be in the Laser and Jace in the Tasar. We already have permission," Clary answered.

"Well that seems hardly fair, having different boats, what if one is better than the other?" Magnus asked.

"Boats are all made equal, it's just who skippers them that makes a difference," Jace replied, giving him a smirk.

"You'll get to see that when you watch me cruise over the finish line first," Clary teased.

Jace smirked and then just raised one eyebrow in response, making her flush.

"Shut up," she muttered, trying to raise just one eyebrow but instead having both go up.

Jace's smirk grew as Clary's frustration did.

"Ja-a-ace," she whined, desperately trying now to hold one eyebrow in place.

The rest of the table turned to look at her and promptly burst into laughter.

They stayed at Taki's for about an hour before all taking off to do things. Jace and Clary both went down to the harbour to find their boats and check them over.

"So I think you should get a handicap because your boat is bigger and has bigger sails," Clary said lightly as she skipped down the berths to where Jace's boat was waiting.

"I think _you_ should have a handicap because you and your boat are so light you just fly across the water," Jace teased back.

Clary just stuck her tongue out at him as her phone buzzed in her pocket. She smiled as the face of her extremely handsome boyfriend flashed across the screen.

"Hey, Seb, what's up?" she asked excitedly.

Jace gave her a smile and she grinned back as she reached up subconsciously to twist a lock of hair between her fingers.

" _Not much, just wondering if you wanted to catch up?"_

"Sure, give me about half an hour or so and I'll be over straight away. Did you have anything particular in mind?"

" _Would it be totally lame if I said, 'Netflix and chill'?"_

Clary laughed loudly.

"Completely, but I'm totally down for it."

" _See you soon. Love you."_

Jace saw her whole face soften and he smiled. He liked that she had finally found someone she liked who made her smile like that. She deserved to be happy.

"Love you too, Seb," she said softly and hung up.

She turned back to Jace and beamed at him.

"We will need to hurry this up a little, I'm going to see Sebastian soon," Clary said.

Jace mock gasped.

"Are you blowing me off for your _boyfriend?!"_

"Yes," Clary responded dead pan.

Jace just shoved her lightly.

"How rude," he huffed.

Clary rolled her eyes good naturedly.

"Rude would be me shoving you into the water, be thankful I am such a lovely person," she shot back.

"Touchy touchy," he teased.

Nevertheless they did speed up their actions and quickly checked their boats over before leaving.

"Honey, I'm home!" Clary sang jokingly as she let herself into her boyfriend's apartment.

"Clary?" Sebastian's voice rang out from his room.

She threw her bag on the floor by the door and kicked off her converse. She walked through the living room and down the hall to his room and swung it open.

"Hey babe, how's it going?" she asked as she walked in.

"Better now you're here," Sebastian responded with a cheeky grin.

Clary smiled at her boyfriend sprawled across the queen size bed. His TV and Xbox were set up with Netflix waiting for them. She ran in and threw herself onto the bed next to her gorgeous boyfriend.

Sebastian Verlac was stunning. He had a brooding and mysterious look to him with pale skin, dark eyes and pitch black hair but in reality he was much more easy going. He reached over for his girlfriend and grabbed onto her hips, pulling her so she was straddling his hips.

"I love you," he whispered to her before leaning up to capture her lips with his.

She smiled into the kiss before pulling back and kissing the end of his nose.

"I love you too," she whispered.

He grinned at her and pulled her back down for another kiss. She giggled and kissed him back before rolling off and stealing the Xbox controller.

"My choice now," she told him.

He groaned and nuzzled his face into her neck.

"I'll just have to distract you then," he mumbled.

She snorted as she started flicking through the titles. Sebastian's lips started kissing at her shoulder and she couldn't help the smile that grew on her lips. She moved to the rom-coms to tease him and his lips travelled to her neck which caused tingles to run up and down her spine. She shifted slightly as her heartbeat sped up slightly. She finally decided on an old classic, 10 Things I Hate About You.

"I love this movie," she told him.

He just hummed over her skin as he brushed her hair away from her face so he could take her earlobe in between his teeth. She gasped lightly and faced him. He looked at her languidly.

"That's cheating," she whined.

"All's fair in love and war," he murmured.

She made a face at him and he promptly grabbed her wrists and twisted so that she was underneath him, her red hair fanning out like a halo on his pillow. She looked up at him in surprise as he held her wrists above her head.

"Is this cheating?" he asked her.

"Yes," she whispered back.

He grinned down at her and she smiled cheekily back. She then locked her heels behind his back and using muscles she'd gained from horse riding with Jace, she twisted them over so that she was now on top.

"I didn't peg you for a top, I like it," Sebastian quipped.

She blushed redder than her hair and he took advantage of her momentary weakness to sit up and pull her close to him so that she was now in his lap. His hands rested on her thighs and she blushed as she felt the heat of his hands radiate through her skin to her bones. Sebastian's mouth ducked to the hollow of her throat and he began to kiss a path down her chest to the neckline of her v-neck top.

"Seb," she breathed out softly, egging him on.

He smirked against her chest and slid his fingers underneath to pull her top quickly up and over her head. Clary blushed as she was left in her very uninteresting, plain cotton, black bra. Sebastian's mouth lowered further and she couldn't help the whimper that left her mouth. He worked furiously on her skin leaving dark purple splotches behind. Clary could feel her blood burning in her veins as Sebastian's touch left her wanting more. His hands skimmed over her bare skin and his thumbs slipped into the waistband of her shorts. He popped the first button and the drew down the zipper and started to ease them off her hips before she put her hands on his. She felt apprehension grow in her chest and a swell of nausea in her stomach. She realised she wasn't quite ready for that step yet.

"Seb, I-I'm sorry but I just, I can't. I'm not ready yet, I'm so, so, sorry, I thought I was and then I wasn't and please forgive me," Clary begged him, her eyes filled with sorrow and regret.

Sebastian's eyes flashed with irritation and frustration.

"Why Clary? Am I not good enough? Have I not been a perfect boyfriend? Am I not more than understanding of your relationship with Herondale?" Sebastian snapped.

Clary stared at him with shock.

"O-of course! It's not you! I'm just… I'm not ready," she whispered.

Sebastian growled lightly and roughly shoved her away.

"What the fuck ever," he muttered.

He stood up from the bed and ran a hand roughly through his hair, turning the Xbox and TV off. Clary was completely flummoxed by his behaviour and deeply hurt that he was so upset about being denied the final step.

"Seb?" she whispered.

" _What?!_ " he yelled at her.

She flinched obviously at the verbal attack and shrank back, fighting back tears.

"I-I l-love you," she stuttered, pleadingly.

"Prove it," he demanded, his eyes boring deep holes into her.

Her body collapsed in on herself as a tear slid out.

"I-I can't, not in the way you want," she whispered sadly.

"Then you don't love me. I don't know what else I can do, Clary… I've waited so long for you and you just… you don't appreciate the fact that I am a man, and I have needs that you're simply not satisfying," Sebastian was trying to make her understand.

Clary's face screwed up and she frowned.

"That's crap, Sebastian. That is _such_ crap! Jesus, I know all about guys and their needs and if they need to _force_ or _manipulate_ someone into bed then they're just… just, crap. That is one of the absolute lowest things you can do!" Clary shouted at him.

She couldn't believe he was pulling the 'I'm a man, I have needs' crap on her. She grew up with Simon, Jace, Alec and Magnus. They never once used that card on any of their partners.

"A frigid bitch like you would have no idea about a man and his needs," Sebastian snapped at her.

Clary felt like she had been slapped in the face. She frowned at him and reached for her top pulling it on roughly, not caring if it was backwards or inside out.

"What the fuck are you doing?" he demanded.

"I'm leaving! You've made it clear you have no interest in anything other than sex so I'm done—we're done!" she yelled at him.

Sebastian growled and grabbed her wrist, yanking her back hard as she reached out for the door handle.

"We're fucking done, when I say we are," he snarled at her as she stumbled back into him, basically falling into him.

Clary felt an icy hand of fear lock onto her heart as she stared up at her ex-boyfriend. His eyes which were normally held warmth were black with anger. She was actually scared he was going to hurt her.

"Sebastian, let me go," she said icily.

No matter her fear she was not about to let him know he was getting to her.

"And what if I don't?" he sneered down at her 5'3 frame.

"I will kick your ass," she snapped.

He just laughed.

"You're cute when you're angry," he said patronisingly.

She just glared at him, he knew how much she hated being called cute. He pulled her closer, his grip tightening on her wrist to the point of pain. He bent down slightly and lifted her up so his hand was holding her up by her ass and to avoid being dropped on the ground she had to lock her legs around his waist and he smirked at her. She glared at him.

"Let me go, Sebastian," she ordered.

He responded by slamming her hard into the wall behind them, making her whimper in pain.

"You're hurting and scaring me, Sebastian, please stop," she begged him.

He was now pressing her hard enough into the wall he didn't need to hold her up any more. Clary felt her body begin to tremble in fear and she prayed for a way out, for Sebastian to drop her so she could run or for someone to randomly drop by forcing him to stop.

"I will make you scream, baby. If you relax you may even like it," he whispered in her ear.

She felt her stomach twist and her heart stopped inn her chest. Tears pooled in her eyes and Sebastian pushed his mouth aggressively onto hers, as his fingers fumbled between er legs. She responded numbly, just barely going through the movements. She felt like she was going to hurl, right up and in his mouth.

He pulled away just briefly to whisper in her ear, patronisingly.

"Whose my good little bitch?"

She glared at him for his comment and promptly threw her head forwards into his.

" _FUCK! You little fucking bitch!"_

He dropped her as he reeled back and for a moment she sat there dazed before coming to her senses. She stood shakily and began to make her way to the door as fast as she could but Sebastian recovered quicker than she did and yanked her back.

His eyes were blazing and she was somewhat pleased to see blood smearing across his face from where she attacked him.

"I'll get you for that," he threatened her and she suddenly felt less thrilled.

His hand gripped around her throat and her eyes widened as it tightened and lifted, forcing her to stand up on her tip toes.

He grabbed at her shirt and pulled as hard as he could, making it tear completely off her body and she shook in fear as she was helpless to stop him. Her fingers were pulling frantically at his hand around her throat, making sure he didn't squeeze too tightly. She thrashed out with her foot though and caught him hard in the groin, causing him to collapse. He let go of her throat and she gasped for air before frantically scrambling up, to get out.

As she got to her feet, a hand reached out and grabbed her foot causing her to fall to the floor. The hand dragged her back and she cried out as she felt the carpet burn into her stomach. She was flipped over and immediately a fist landed in her face and she cried out as she tried to protect herself from a flurry of blows. Her face, head, body, arms, were all attacked until she got enough manoeuvrability to kick Sebastian in the face and kick him away. This time she didn't wait to get up. She was practically blinded from swelling and blood but she didn't stop. She threw open his door and slammed it shut, grabbing a table and shoving it against the door to buy her some time. She ran through the living room and grabbed her bag, not even stopping to grab her shoes. She could buy new ones.

She threw open his front door and slammed it shut, before running to the only place she knew she would be safe.


	2. Chapter 2

Jace was enjoying a movie on the couch when a furious pounding started at his door. He sighed in annoyance as he paused the movie and made his way to the door.  
"I'm coming!" he yelled as he pulled on a shirt.  
The person on the other side made no indication they heard and he growled.  
"They better have a damn good reason for interrupting like this," he grumbled.  
"WHAT?!" he snapped as he wrenched the door open.  
At the sight of the person before him his face went white.  
" _Clary?_ " he whispered.

She looked up at him and he froze. She looked like she had been beaten to within an inch of her life. Her lips were busted, as was her nose. Her eyes were both nearly swollen shut and he could see blood flowing from cuts on her forehead, temple and cheek.  
"Who did this to you?" he asked, letting her inside, shutting the door.  
Clary's lips trembled and her whole face screwed up, the moisture built in her eyes. Jace drew her into his arms and held her gently. Which was when he realised she had no shirt.  
"Jesus, Clary, where's your shirt? Where are your shoes?! Fuck!"  
He instantly pulled his shirt back over his head and pulled it over hers, not caring about the blood that was surely going to get on it.

Clary's shoulders started to shake and he heard faint whimpers come from her. He felt his heart break for his beautiful best friend who looked like she had been used as someone's punching bag. He gently picked her up bridal style and moved over to the couch where he sat and kept her in his lap.  
"Clare, who hurt you?" he asked again.  
She wound her arms around his neck as she tucked her aching legs underneath her. She drew in closer to her best friend, saying Sebastian's name out loud would make it real. It would mean that he really did beat her because she wouldn't sleep with him and there was no turning back from that. She wouldn't be able to pretend any longer.  
"Clary… please..." he begged her, distress evident in his voice.  
"Sebastian," she whispered.  
Jace's blood ran cold as his arms tensed around her small frame.  
"It was Sebastian!" she wailed and dug her face in further to his neck.  
Jace was shocked. Her boyfriend, the one he had met and even gotten along with, he was the one who made Clary run for miles shirtless and shoeless through New York. He had beaten her until she resembled a Jackson Pollock painting. He felt the burn of fury in his blood and he fought to keep it under control. Clary had seen enough fists tonight.  
He made his arms relax and he pulled her in close to him.  
"You're safe now, Clary. I promise. No one will hurt you when I'm here," he promised her.

Clary gripped onto his shoulders tightly as she cried out her fear, anger and grief over Sebastian. Jace just held her and rocked her slightly, knowing she needed to get it all out.  
"I'm so sorry," he blurted out.  
Clary looked up at him through swollen eyes.  
"I'm so fucking sorry. I should have known something was wrong with him, I should've walked you there or something, I'm so fucking sorry, Clary," he whispered to her.  
She shook her head.  
"You have nothing to be sorry for. You're not the reason why Sebastian hit me," she murmured trying to reassure him.  
"I'm going to kill him, Clary. If I _ever_ see his face, I will make sure his face gets ground into the floor," he promised her, his gold eyes darkening to bronze in anger.  
"Please Jace… not… not right now," she whispered.  
His eyes refocused on her and he nodded.  
"Lets get you cleaned up. I'll run you a bath," he told her.  
She nodded and moved over to let him free. He stood up from the couch and made his way to the bathroom. Clary sighed in relief as she curled up on the couch, using the arm rest as a pillow. The whole place was as familiar to her as her own. It looked and smelled just like Jace and that relaxed her. She knew that while she was with Jace he would not let anything bad happen to her.

"Clare Bear, your bath is ready."  
She turned over to see Jace waiting by the foot of the couch for her. She slowly shifted herself so she was sitting up and stretched, wincing as it sent ripples of pain through her body. Within seconds Jace's arms were underneath her and she was hoisted up into his arms against.  
"I can walk, I did get here that way," she said, teasingly.  
Jace simply grimaced as he saw her cut up feet. She sighed as she followed his gaze and rested her head on his shoulder. They silently moved into the bathroom and he set her down gently.

Clary's feet stung as the touched the tiles but she made no sound of pain. But when she reached around to pull her shirt up she winced as it twisted a muscle that had been hit one too many times.  
"Jace? Little help?" she asked.  
She and Jace had been friends for so long and seen each other naked(accidentally) so many times that it wasn't even weird for him to be around her while stripping off for a bath.  
Jace nodded silently and gently took the hem of his shirt and pulled it up slowly, giving her enough time to wiggle her arms and head out. His eyes fell onto the cuts and bruises splotching over her body and his eye twitched. Clary noticed his eyes and curled up slightly, ashamed that he was seeing her so broken and ugly.  
"Sorry," she muttered.  
Jace's eyes flew to her face and he frowned.  
"Don't you _dare_ apologise," he said to her, his voice tight with barely controlled fury.  
She flinched at his tone and he was horrified. He immediately reined in his temper and made her look back up at him.  
"Don't apologise for what that bastard did. Don't you dare. That means he gets away with it. You need to let everyone know that he did wrong, not the other way round," he said to her quietly, trying to get his point across.

Clary looked down and nodded silently. Jace pushed the hair away from her face and kissed the top of her head. He then moved around and loosely plaited her hair for her so it was somewhat manageable in the water. Clary shimmied her shorts off her legs, her underwear going with it.  
"Hey Jace, I'm having some trouble reaching behind my back, can you get my bra for me?" she asked him.  
He nodded and deftly unsnapped her bra for her and respectfully looked away as she stepped into the water, hissing as it got into all of her cuts and carpet burn.  
"Do you want me to go?" he asked her uncertainly and he saw a faint glimmer of fear flicker over her face.  
He hated that it was even there. He hated that she felt self conscious about herself now, he hated that any of this had happened to his best friend.  
"Please, stay," she whispered pathetically, drawing her arms around herself.

Jace nodded and sat on the floor next to her, leaning against the bathroom vanity.  
"He hasn't done this before has he?" Jace asked quietly.  
The thought of Sebastian striking Clary more than once made him feel sick to the stomach.  
"No. This is the first… and last..." she whispered.  
"Oh, thank God," he whispered. "I would be serving a life sentence if he had."  
Clary looked over at him and for the first time tonight he saw a faint flicker of a smile on her lips.

"So… why? I mean… I thought… I-I," Jace was still trying to wrap his head around it all.  
Clary sank deeper into the water until she was barely above it.  
"Because I said no," she whispered.  
Jace had an inkling of what she meant by that and prayed he was wrong.  
"No? To… sex?" he asked.  
He knew Clary hadn't had sex yet, she always said she wanted it to really mean something with someone who loved and respected her. He had always made any boyfriends understand that if they tried to push her it would be the very last time they did anything of the sort. He had had that same talk with Sebastian and he had said he knew, understood and it would never happen.  
Now here they were.

"Yeah. He then told me I didn't love him and tried to pull the stupid 'I'm a man and I have needs' card," Clary laughed in spite of herself.  
Jace smiled at the sound and by what he knew would have happened. Growing up with boys for friends she didn't tolerate any shit like that.  
"I hope you punched him for that."  
Clary laughed tensely.  
"I told him we were done, to which he replied we weren't done until he said so and then pinned me to a wall," she mumbled.  
Jace's blood boiled over and he fought the urge to leave and show that kid _exactly_ what he thought of him.  
"I did head butt him though, and kick him in the groin," Clary put in happily.  
Jace smiled, proud of her.  
"I'm _so_ proud of you. I don't at all like what he did to you but I am so glad you didn't give in," Jace told her softly.  
Clary flushed under his comment.  
"Well, I didn't really have any other choice, did I?"  
Jace's smile deflated slightly.  
"No, you didn't."

They sat and chatted idly for the better part of an hour until Clary was finally ready to come out.  
"Jace, don't look, please," she mumbled.  
Jace's heart broke into a million pieces. He had _never_ watched Clary while she was naked but she had never felt the need to ask him to turn away. It had been a mutual respect thing, but now she felt the need to ask. He promised that he would make Sebastian pay.  
"I wish I'd never met him, Jace," Clary said quietly as she changed into a set of Jace's clothes.  
"Me too Clare Bear," Jace sighed, his eyes closed.  
"I'm done Jace, thank you," Clary said to him.  
He opened his eyes and smiled at her.  
"Wanna 'Netflix and chill'?" he laughed.  
Clary blanched and Jace frowned in worry.  
"What's wrong?" he asked, standing up.  
He winced as his butt woke up and pin and needles started stabbing him.  
"That's what Sebastian said to get me to come over today," Clary mumbled.  
Jace frowned but then smiled.  
"That's okay. Because Netflix sucks. I'm going to kick your ass at Mario Kart!" he announced.  
Clary smirked at him.  
"Want your butt kicked in two races in one week, boy you're game."  
He just pointed at her with a mock threatening look.  
"You're on, Fray."


	3. Chapter 3

**So, the issues are all fixed, plot holes filled I think. If I've missed anything let me know!**

 **Big thanks to lima17 for being my first reviewer and to both lima17 and reppinda5o3 for pointing out the plot holes. Thank you both so much xo**

* * *

She spent the rest of the week at Jace's because, well, to be honest she was a little afraid Sebastian would come for her if she was at home and she didn't want to have to explain her bruises to her parents who would surely demand to know what happened and Clary just… she wasn't sure she wanted to relive it all again. It wasn't uncommon for her to spend up to a month with Jace. Her parents were rather relaxed about it all, knowing she was sensible and knowing Jace was sensible too. It also helped that they had insisted Clary go on the pill at 15. Thankfully though the day of the race came around quickly and Clary was the first one down to the marina in the morning. She hadn't heard from Sebastian since that day and her bruises were fading now so her mood was overjoyed that day and she was eager to get started.

She raced down to her boat and began checking everything. She checked her life jacket which was waiting where it always was—under her seat, she checked her EPIRB which was where it always was. She then checked her sails for any weaknesses or tearing and saw none. She smiled and then set about getting everything ready. She grabbed her lunch and packed it away securely. She had a sealed waterproof box that she placed her phone, keys and license in and stashed it.

"Alright, time to jump in and check underneath," Clary muttered to herself.  
She pulled her hair away from her face and plaited it back so it would be out of the way. She pulled her top and shorts off to reveal a black and silver zebra printed bikini.  
"Looking good Fray!"  
She whirled around to see Jace grinning wolfishly at her. She rolled her eyes good naturedly and smirked at him.  
"Shame the same can't be said for you," she teased.  
The look of horror and mock outrage made her cheer internally as she pulled her snorkel mask on and grabbed a scrubbing brush.  
"That was just plain rude," he told her.  
She just shrugged.  
"And?" she asked cheekily before jumping into the water.  
She adjusted her mask and placed the snorkel mouthpiece in her mouth before ducking under and swimming underneath her boat.

She was inspecting for any barnacles and general sea life that tends to gather onto boats and create drag while racing. She spotted a little bit on the bottom of the keel and swam down and gave it a bit of a scrub before returning for the surface for more air. She blew hard at the surface pushing all the water out of her snorkel and sucked in a big gulp of air before going back down and scrubbing the rest off. She rose back to the surface and checked the rudder while she was in the water. There was no debris or sea life jamming up the rudder it was as free moving as a kite.

Clary pulled off the snorkel and tossed it onto the pontoon. She reached up and grabbed onto the edge trying to pull herself up. She managed to get about half of her body up before a hand gripped onto her upper arm and started helping lift her up. Clary saw the hand and saw the familiar spiralling scar over the knuckles from where they had a skateboarding accident and knew it was Jace. With his help she was out of the water in moments.

"Damn it! Stupid barnacles!"  
Clary's thigh was bleeding from where she had brushed against the barnacles on the pontoon.  
"You alright Clare?" Jace asked in slight concern.  
"Yeah, it'll stop bleeding soon. I just wish barnacles would pick somewhere else to grow—I'm going to look like a cutter soon," Clary laughed, looking up at him.  
He just laughed in response.  
True to her word her thigh stopped bleeding a minute later and using her towel she wiped away the blood and dried her body off. She decided to leave her hair in a plait, not wanting to deal with the mess water usually made of her curls.

"I have the weather report on Bikini Bottom and it is fine as hell."  
She glared over at Jace who winked at her playfully.  
"You're such a dog," she shook her head at him.  
He just shrugged.  
"Anyone would be with that ass around," he responded lightly.  
She scoffed and turned away pulling her shirt and shorts back on. She knew Jace meant nothing by his comments he was a complete horn dog and a ladies man. It was in his DNA to flirt and make such comments.  
"Just go and get your boat ready, Herondale," she said to him.  
"Yes, Ma'am," he teased, saluting to her.  
"Dork," she muttered.

Before too long their friends joined them down on the marina, placing bets with Magnus on the winner of their race and wishing them luck. Izzy being the only exception, she was lamenting Clary's choice of wardrobe.  
"Couldn't you have picked anything cuter?" Izzy despaired.  
Clary looked down at her outfit. She was wearing a pink and purple patterned fishing shirt with plain white cotton shorts and a pair of rubber soled, lace up boating shoes on her feet. It wasn't cute but superbly practical for being out on the water. It was light, so she wouldn't sweat too much and would protect her arms from being sunburnt. She also had a wide brim sun hat to keep the sun off her face and neck. She looked incredibly mismatched but she didn't care.  
"This is practical, Izzy," Clary reminded her.  
"You couldn't have at least worn make up?" Izzy whined.  
She actually was wearing makeup—just not the way Izzy wore it. She was using colour correct and concealer with a fine layer of foundation to hide her bruises. Clary didn't want anyone to know though, she felt an immense amount of shame for being conned by Sebastian and part of her still wanted to deny that the incident had even happened. She knew she would have to face it eventually but she figured, just for now, she could deal without the Spanish Inquisition. Jace had made her let him take photos of all her bruises just in case she decided to press charges, but Clary wasn't sure yet. She just wanted to race, to go out on the water and feel free then deal with Sebastian.  
"Who in the hell am I going to meet out there alone on the water?" Clary asked, directing her attention to something else.  
Izzy gave her a grin.  
"Perhaps you could 'capsize' and need rescuing by a super hot coast guard?" she suggested.  
Clary just rolled her eyes.  
"I swear, only you can come up with such things," Clary laughed as Izzy pouted.

"Good luck out there Clary, hope you beat his ass into the water," Simon said, giving her a hug.  
"Thanks, Si, I promise to do so," Clary responded, returning the hug.  
"Now that is just rude, what happens if _I_ beat _her_ ass into the water?" Jace asked.  
"It won't happen," Simon said decisively.  
"But if it does?" Jace persisted.  
"You will be able to enjoy the look of disbelief and shock on my face as I faint," Simon responded dead pan.  
Jace looked pleased.  
"Good," he said.  
"I would like to take this time now to say that I have now finished taking bets on who lives and who dies, and who wins," Magnus called out.  
"Who has better odds?"  
Magnus gave a Cheshire Cat grin and looked at Jace who was smirking.  
"Our dearest Clary of course."  
The look on Jace's face was priceless and everyone fell into bouts of laughter.

"I'm not interrupting am I?"  
Clary froze at the familiar voice. Her back stiffened and Jace felt a ball of rage build in his stomach.  
"You have some nerve, Verlac," Jace spat at the French boy, standing defensively in front of Clary.  
"This doesn't concern you, Herondale," Sebastian hissed in response.  
Their friends had made an awkward huddle around Clary, not really knowing what was going on. All wondering why Clary wasn't rushing over to greet Sebastian and why Jace was losing it at him.  
"Like hell it doesn't! Get your damn face out of here Verlac before you lose it!" Jace shouted.  
"Jace, Jace, it's okay. I'll talk with him," Clary said quietly, placing her hand on his arm gently.  
"You are not going anywhere alone with him ever again," Jace told her.  
"I'm not, I'll just be a few metres away, it's okay, I'll scream if I need you," she reassured him.  
Jace growled at Sebastian who smirked at him and he gently took Clary into his arms.  
"The moment you don't feel safe let me know, I'll beat him to within an inch of his life," Jace promised her quietly.  
She looked up and smiled, feeling perfectly safe with Jace.  
"I know you will," she said.  
Jace gently took her face in his hands and kissed her forehead softly. He smirked at Sebastian who now looked apoplectic with rage.

Sebastian's hand gripped hard onto Clary's upper arm and Jace noticed her wince. He couldn't help himself this time. He punched Sebastian hard, sending him stumbling back.  
"I agreed to let you talk to Clary, but you do _not_ have permission to touch her, so keep your filthy hands off her," Jace threatened.  
Sebastian sneered at him, cupping his nose which was now dripping blood.  
"You're like a damn dog pissing on it's territory," Sebastian spat at him.  
"That happens when you use my best friend as a punching bag," he snapped.  
Sebastian sneered at him but had nothing to say as their friends gasped behind her.

Clary gave Jace a grateful smile and nodded as she stepped away with Sebastian. Jace watched the two like a hawk noting that Sebastian didn't even attempt to touch her. He did see Clary's face morph into one of anger and he wanted to go over and drown the bastard, but this was Clary's situation and he knew she would be mad if he butted in when he wasn't needed. After a few moments and an obviously heated conversation, Clary gave him the finger and stomped back to them.

"Everything all good, Clary?" Jace worried.  
"Fine," she muttered.  
Jace frowned, she obviously wasn't but didn't press the matter.  
"Let's get this show on the road!" Clary exclaimed excitedly, switching moods in an instant.  
"Clary. Did he… actually? For real?" Simon asked her, distress clouding his normally cheerful tone.  
Clary looked down at the ground in shame and Jace threw his arm around her shoulders.  
"Yes, he did. He is an absolute piece of shit, _but_ he is not going to ruin this for us. All questions can be saved for after the race," Jace said firmly.  
He knew Clary was not up to talking about it and as their friends immediately hustled about and took off for the start/finish line, which was the entrance/exit to the marina—Clary gave him a grateful look to which he just nodded.

They separated, Jace headed to his boat and Clary stepped onto her boat getting herself settled. She then unwound the mooring lines and threw them back onto the walkway. She carefully began to reverse out and using a quarter of her sail to get her moving she made her way to the start.  
Jace met her there and moments later they saw their friends cheering and waving and she faintly heard Isabelle's voice scream 'Go!'.

Clary immediately wrenched on the main sail lines and caught of gust of wind sending her ahead of Jace who had slightly more sail to raise. He was in a slightly bigger boat but she was in the more lithe boat. So basically—they were evenly matched. Clary grinned behind her at Jace who had started to lag behind. She knew that was one of his tactics though, he did it in everything he did. Made the opponent get a head start and become too cocky before swooping in. Clary however, would use every second she got to increase her lead.

She smiled as she dodged past boats, zipped between ferries and made her way out to Perri Island. That was their turn around point. It was approximately 15 kilometres out, so this race would take most of the day. Clary was glad for it, out on the water she always felt a million times more relaxed. She thought it was something about the salty breeze mixed with the relaxing sound of the lapping water. A small laugh of glee bubbled from her lips and she looked over at Jace to see him starting to catch up. She raised her eyebrows, he wasn't giving her much of a head start, he must be scared, she mused. She then smiled widely.

He should be, she wouldn't be going easy on him.


	4. Chapter 4

**All faults are fixed in the previous chapter. Many thanks to lima17 and reppinda5o3 for pointing them out!  
** **In any case, here's the next chapter, hope you enjoy!**

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Clary was grinning as she raced neck and neck with Jace. Every ten minutes or so she would pull ahead and then he would and so on. They had their big, kite sails up to really power them along. Clary's kite was a bright green and silver colour with the boats registration number printed on it. Jace's was gold and maroon with his boats registration number on it. Their friends often joked that their sails looked like Slytherin versus Gryffindor. The water out here was much choppier but the pair didn't pay too much attention to it. They were simply racing and enjoying the life.  
"Eat my water, Fray!" Jace yelled over the wind as he attempted to sail past.  
Clary gave him the finger and tightened up her kite a little, it created a wider balloon in front the funnelled a little bit more wind at a slightly faster rate so she shot forwards just a bit.  
"Eat _my_ water, Herondale!" she yelled back in retaliation.

They raced on no one really gaining an advantage until they started notice that the water was starting to get really bad with chop and mini-swells and the sun was starting to hide behind some clouds.  
"Clary! I think we should start to head back!" Jace yelled over, as he manoeuvred his boat in closer.  
"Scared, Herondale?!"  
"You wish!"  
There was a slight pause before Jace spoke back up.  
"I just don't know if it's safe!"  
"You can do what you want Jace, but Perri Island is only another three kilometres away and I'm not bitching out because of some waves!"  
Jace sighed in frustration. There was no way he was going to leave her alone out on the water, but he really didn't want to continue.  
"Fine, but if the weather doesn't clear before we get there we're pulling into the nearest marina, even if it's not ours!"  
Clary nodded her agreement and tried to coax some more wind into her sails.

Another hour later, they arrived at Perri Island and Clary pulled her boat in next to Jace's. Their kites were down now, they were just cruising for the moment to talk.  
"What do you think?" she yelled.  
Jace studied the water and the clouds. They were looking a bit ominous but they were quite high up. The storm would probably hit late tonight he thought. It had taken them approximately four hours to get here, but with the winds guiding them home he reasoned they could probably be back in three hours. Plenty of time to avoid the storm.  
"Head back the way we came!"  
Clary grinned and yanked her kite up.  
"Last one back is a rotten egg!"

An hour later and Jace's prediction about the weather couldn't be more wrong. What he hadn't thought of was that on water storms travel a lot faster and hit a lot stronger than they do on land. Both Clary and Jace had pulled their kites down as the boats were too unmanageable with them. They were being tossed about like toys with them and Clary had nearly capsized. Speaking of the pair, both were full of fear and tension. Clary had thrown on her life jacket—preparing for the worst and hooked herself to the mast so if I wave went over she wouldn't be washed away. Jace noticed what she had done and proceeded to do so himself. The waves wouldn't have been too bad if they were in bigger boats but in their four metre long boats they were massive. Water was constantly going over their hulls and Clary was shivering from the cold, not that she paid any attention to it. She fought the water pushing her rudder, and had to keep turning to make sure her boat was facing the waves instead of going sideways or broaching. If she went broadside to the waves they would almost certainly capsize her, but the tide, waves and current were making it difficult. Her arms ached and her face was tense, her hat had blown away some time ago so now loose strands of her hair were flying everywhere, making it difficult to see.

Jace was faring a little bit better. His boat was slightly longer than her boat and he was stronger so it wasn't as difficult for him to navigate the waves. However, he spent half his time worrying about Clary in her boat which was mentally exhausting him. He was cursing himself for being so stupid, he should have told them to turn around when they had the chance and raced another day. He could faintly hear a thundering pattering behind him and he looked over to see rain closing in on them and his heart sank. Just great.

The water pounded into their skins like thousands of icy needles. Clary's long sleeve fishing shirt did little to protect her from the elements and she wished she had worn something long and heavy, or at least thought to bring a waterproof jacket. Her teeth were chattering hard enough she thought Jace would be able to hear them and she was shivering. She could feel tears of frustration and fear leak down her face. Mostly she was mad at herself. It was her fault they were out here. Jace had wanted to turn back ages ago, but her and her stupid ego. She had wanted to win and avoid her time on land.

Sebastian's last words to her on the pontoon were that he hoped either she or Herondale would drown and now she was facing that very real possibility. She wouldn't survive a storm in the water. Even with her life jacket the water would sweep her away to God knows where and she could be eaten by sharks or die of thirst or starvation. In any case—it was imperative that she did not capsize.

They battled for what felt like an eternity before they were able to bring their boats close enough to hear each other. Clary had thrown over several of her side buoys to protect the boats should they knock into each other.  
"Shouldn't we be back by now?!" she screamed.  
"Yes!" Jace yelled back, after checking his watch.  
"Where are we?!"  
"I have no idea!"  
Clary could feel panic rise up in her throat but she forced herself to swallow it, panicking would do no good in this situation. She needed to be cool and smart to survive.  
"JACE! Land!" Clary screamed spotting a blur in the distance.  
Jace looked over and indeed saw a landmass looking blob on the horizon and sighed in relief. It was still a ways away but it was something.  
"Head towards it!" he yelled.

They both turned their boats to the land mass but now they were fighting tide as well as current, swell and wind. The waves were getting worse, getting into a phenomenon known as 'confused seas'. This is when waves come at all discernible angles with no pattern. The pair were being thrown about in all directions and now Clary was really struggling. Her boat was on the smaller end of four metres while Jace's was on the longer end. All that was needed to capsize her boat was for a wave to be just slightly bigger than a metre high, while Jace had an extra 50 centimetres to work with. Then she saw it.  
The wave that was going to capsize her.  
Two waves had joined together to create a large swell and the resulting wave was enough to capsize even Jace's boat. She had no chance.  
"Jace!" she screamed, feeling terror rise in her throat.  
He looked over at her and she pointed. Even from that distance she could see Jace go white as he did the math. He turned back to her, his eyes wide with terror for her.  
" _CLARY!"_

She had never heard that note of panic in his voice before and she tried not to dwell on it. She aligned her boat, she didn't think she had a chance of making it but she couldn't just sit there; she had to try. She drew her boat up so it was basically front on to the wave, Jace doing the same next to, and slightly ahead of her. She steeled herself for the wave but then a sudden gust of wind sent Jace's boat careening into hers. She watched in slow motion as the stern of his boat slammed into hers. It created a large, jagged hole that water began to rapidly fill and Clary knew that if they stayed joined like that that they would both capsize and likely drown. If she went broadside though—then at least Jace wouldn't capsize.

"Hard left, Jace!" she yelled.  
He immediately did so, trusting her as she wrenched her boat hard to the right and they broke free! Jace took the moment to correct himself but by then it was too late for her.  
" _JACE!"  
_ Jace looked over and went white as panic overtook his body. The wave he was currently just able to sail over had broached over Clary's boat and he could see the terror in her eyes as the whole boat went over and she went with it. His blood turned to ice and rushed in his ears as his heart stopped beating.  
"Clary! _Clary! CLARY!"_ he screamed hysterically, no longer paying attention to his boat.  
He saw the hull of her boat bobbing in the water, the keel sticking out like a sore thumb, and saw the main sail start the float up in an odd triangle. He realise that her mast had snapped. Her boat was now completely unusable, but even worse there was no sign of his red head.

Clary was trapped under the water. In the motion of capsizing, the hook keeping her attached to the mast had bent out of shape and was now impossible to unclip. She pulled on it frantically as her lungs screamed for air. She could see things start to fall out of the boat and sink or float and her eyes spied a small knife. She kept it on the boat for emergencies and if this wasn't an emergency she didn't know what was. She swam to where her knife was swiftly sinking and reached out to snatch it and had barely touched the handle when the tether jerked her back. Clary could scream but she was starting to choke with her need for air. She had no choice now. She had to undo her life jacket, which is what the tether was attached to. She unclipped herself and kicked as strong as she could to reach the surface. She could faintly see the edges of her vision cloud in but she refused to give up so close.

She broke the surface and gasped for air greedily but then another wave slammed down on her and pushed her back under, sending her spinning wildly. All she could see was a white mass of bubbles and just a deep, blackness under her feet. It was a completely irrational thought but the next thing that passed through her mind was the theme song for Jaws. _Duuuuh dun. Dun-dun, dun-dun, dun-dun._ She wanted to scream as all she could see in her minds eye was a big shark coming for her. She kicked and thrashed and fought her way to the surface, seeing a big, serrated mouth opening over her feet the entire way. Each brush of weed or debris was the leathery skin of a shark toying with her and she was so scared she couldn't think straight.

The amount of terror she was feeling was completely unparalleled. It was a boulder caught in her throat making it impossible for her to even think about breathing. It was the lightness in her arms and legs as she pushed them to their maximum to get herself out. She wanted to curl up in a ball and cry, she wanted her childhood blanket and her mother's arms around her. Clary's bladder couldn't even keep it's hold and as she swam she wet herself-though she supposed she was already wet so that wasn't an accurate phrase. What was even worse than that was a little fact that she had read somewhere on the internet. _Sharks are attracted to blood, dogs and urine._ She had just made herself a big pool of shark bait. She knew she was crying even though she was underwater.

When she finally reached the surface she gasped for breath and had all of 30 seconds to prepare for the next wave. She knew her boat was wrecked so now her only hope of survival was Jace, she turned in the water looking for him through the rain and waves but couldn't see him and that made her want to cry and scream. She couldn't believe she had survived her mast snapping, being trapped underwater, even being thrown under by waves just to be left stranded.

Jace had turned his boat around and was now going with the waves back to where he had seen Clary go in the water. Tears were streaming down his face as his brain tried to tell him to prepare for the worst. His heart however screamed that she was out there and she needed him. Jace had never failed her before and he wasn't planning to now. He screamed out her name repeatedly until he finally heard an out of sync splash. He whirled around and saw a flash of red hair about a hundred metres down. He turned his boat to her and waited in agony as he sailed over.  
"Clary!"  
She looked up to see Jace's boat coming for her. She could cry but she didn't have the energy or time to worry about that, keeping her head above water was hard enough.  
"Clary! Grab my hand!"  
She saw Jace stretch out his hand and she feebly reached for it, but missed. However one of his mooring lines had fallen out of the boat and was trailing behind a few metres and she reached for that. The sudden jolt on her arm and force of water now on her, told her she had it.  
"Jace!" she yelled.  
He saw her holding onto the line and began hauling on the rope. Clary herself began to pull herself along and before she knew it Jace's hands were on her arms and body, pulling her into his boat. The moment her feet touched the deck his arms were around her and she could feel him shaking.

"I thought I lost you."  
One arm was wrapped tightly around her back while the other tangled in the top of her plait and he was holding her to him like his life depended on it as she sobbed hysterically and trembled in his arms. Her arms were wrapped tightly around his torso with her fingers digging into his back, almost painfully. He didn't mind though, it reminded him that she was alive.  
She was so grateful he was there because for those few minutes she truly believed she was going to die.  
"I was so scared," she whispered.  
"It's okay, I've got you now, we're gonna be okay. I promise," he told her over and over.

The worst wasn't over yet though. More of those swells were forming and both Clary and Jace had to work together to get the boat going in the direction they wanted. Jace manned the rudder while Clary fought with the sails and ropes. Together they worked like a well oiled machine and they struggled through the waves and storm until they got close enough to the island that they received a bit of protection from the waves and wind.


	5. Chapter 5

**I would like to make a big thank you to ReadingManiac, AlesiaJ89 and a lovely Guest for leaving some lovely review for me to read! Thanks so much for your support, it means so much, particularly as I've never written anything along these lines before xx**

* * *

The two teens finally pulled up on a beach and were so exhausted they could barely keep their eyes open. Together they dragged the boat up the beach as far as they could and secured it to a mangrove before stripping it. Jace and Clary pulled out the main sail and hauled out the kite.  
"Why are we doing this?" Clary asked, tiredly.  
She felt physically exhausted and drained. Her eyelids felt like 100 kilogram weights and her actual eyeballs felt like sandpaper. Presumably from all the salt she had gotten in them thanks to her little dip. Her limbs felt heavy and awkward, every movement was an extremely conscious and forced movement. All she wanted to do was curl up in a ball and sleep—hopefully waking back up in her bed and realising this was all a nightmare.  
"We can use the sails for shelter and for a bed. We can just hook them back up in the morning. After this go and grab my lunch and anything else you think we'll need for the night. Rope, anything," Jace told her tiredly.  
Clary nodded and together they dragged the kite up the beach a bit further before she returned back to the boat. She dug through every little compartment and grabbed everything she could carry. She hauled it all back up the beach to where Jace was attempting to make a shelter.

"What did you find?" he asked her, his back still turned to her.  
She dropped everything into the sand and listed it for him.  
"Mooring rope, your lunch which consists of an apple, a sandwich and a couple of museli bars. Your EPIRB, your rope knife, a small first aid kit, your waterproof box with your keys, license and phone—"  
"Clary! My phone! Call someone!" Jace said urgently whirling around to face her.  
She looked up at him with heavy eyes to meet his frantic gold ones.  
"Really, Jace? Call for help? Why didn't I think of that?" she snapped sarcastically.  
"No need to get snappy Clary," Jace growled.  
Clary sighed realising she was being unnecessarily bitchy. It wasn't his fault they were stranded here.  
"Sorry Jace, I'm just… stressed out. In any case, there's no service on this beach," she told him dropping his phone back into the sand.  
His face fell but he plastered a big smile for her anyway.

"Do you think you could give me a hand?" he asked her, changing the topic.  
She nodded and stood up from their pitiful salvage.  
"We should make a lean to, that'll be easiest," Clary offered.  
Jace smiled.  
"Just what I was thinking."  
Together they worked together to create a spine from fallen logs, branches and buried them deep into the sand for stability. Next they used the knife to cut down leaves, leafy branches, just anything to insulate the shelter and lay on the floor. Next they cut and used the mooring line to lash Jace's kite down over them to keep them protected from the elements. Jace tossed his life jacket inside both agreeing to use it as a pillow.

When they were done both of their stomachs were growling. They looked hesitantly at their meagre food and Clary pushed it away.  
"You have it," she told Jace, pushing the apple to him.  
He snorted.  
"I think it's best we just don't eat tonight. It won't be so bad, one night won't kill us. When they find us we'll have it as our victory feast," Jace said to her, reassuringly.  
Clary looked up at him and marvelled at how easy it was for him to be optimistic. He had built the shelter, got everything together, basically keeping them alive while she was sitting on the ground barely able to function. Nevertheless, she agreed and they set the food aside in the lean to. She did open up one of Jace's water bottles that she found on the boat and took a small sip before offering it to Jace. He nodded his thanks and took a mouthful before screwing the cap on and placing it with the food.

"We need to make a fire. It'll scare animals away and make us noticeable," Clary said softly.  
Jace nodded and grabbed the knife and began whittling away at a branch they hadn't used. Clary watched curiously as he kept all the shavings and created a centimetre deep groove in the branch.  
"Can I have a shoelace?"  
Clary immediately unlaced her shoe and handed it to him wordlessly. He grabbed a flexible branch and another smaller branch. He tied one end of the shoelace to one end of the flexible branch and looped it around the smaller branch before tying it to the other end, making a crude bow.  
"What are you doing, Jace?" Clary asked in curiosity.  
"I saw it on Mythbusters. I'm gonna make us a fire," he informed her.  
Clary felt a small smile flicker at the corner of her lips.  
"Thank God for Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman."  
Jace snorted and grabbed some of the shavings as well as the paper bag that his lunch was kept in. He created a flat surface and laid the paper bag down before laying the grooved branch over the top. He grabbed a spare piece of wood and collected the shavings.

"Can you get me some more tinder? Just some twigs and leaves and dry grass? Then get some bigger sticks?" he asked her quietly.  
Clary nodded and started collecting all the dry tinder around, setting it in a pile next to Jace. Meanwhile he set one end of the branch in the groove and placed the spare bit of wood on top, keeping it stable. He took a deep breath and took up the bow and began to vigorously move it in a sawing motion.  
Clary watched him idly as he kept sawing. She noticed sweat start to build up on his forehead and bit her lip. She desperately wanted this to work, she needed it to work. Jace kept at it and she began to notice a bit of smoke start to waft away.

"It's working! Jace, it's working!" she squealed in excitement.  
She dropped to her knees next to him and he stole a glance at her. She looked desperate. Her eyes were staring at the smoke like it was her lifeline, and for all they knew it kind of was. He also noticed her lips had turned a pale blue colour and whether she noticed it or not she was visibly shaking. He knew that was both a good and bad sign. Good because her body still maintained some form of heat generating function, but bad because it was the starting symptom of hypothermia. He pressed his lips together and redoubled his efforts.

Not long after more smoke began to form and he carefully pulled the stick away from the groove and tapped the end gently. Some black coals dropped into the groove he blew very, very gently on them. More smoke began to cloud and he carefully dropped the coals onto the paper bag underneath. He gathered up the shavings and dropped them on the coals. He carefully waved his hand on the embers and gathered up the leaves, grass and twigs Clary had gathered. He bundled them all up and then created a small crevice in the twigs.  
"Clary, make a pit three feet from the entrance of our tent," he ordered.  
She nodded and immediately began to dig a small fire pit in the sand and filled it up with the remaining sticks and twigs. Seconds later Jace came running over with a handful of fire, which he threw into the pit.  
"How did you do that?" Clary asked him in awe.  
"Transferred the embers to the bundle of twigs and grass and waited. Kept blowing it of course, everything gets hot when I blow on it," he teased, sending her a wink.  
She just rolled her eye good naturedly and held out her hands over the slowly growing fire. She was still shivering and he bit his lip as he saw her soaking shirt clinging to her porcelain skin.

"Clary, you'll actually be warmer if you take your wet clothes off," he told her carefully.  
She looked up at him indignantly  
"I'm fine, Jace. You don't need to worry about me," she told him  
"Clary, we're sopping wet and you've been shaking for hours. You are going to get hypothermia. Take your damn shirt off, wring it out and hang it so that it dries for tomorrow," he said to her in a no nonsense kind of tone.  
Clary sighed irritated, even though she knew Jace only wanted the best for her. She just knew how many bruises were left on her body and she hated Jace seeing them. Every time he saw them she noticed he got a little twitch in his eye and she felt shame sink into a pit in her stomach. She knew, rationally, she had no reason to feel shameful but she couldn't help it. She reluctantly pulled her shirt up and felt the breeze brush over her skin, causing her to shudder violently. Jace pulled his shirt up as well and wrung it out as Clary did and took her shirt from her, hanging it up high and securely. He turned to her and he felt his eye twitch as he saw the bruises mottling her body. He couldn't help it, she was his best friend and he would always flinch at someone hurting her. He noticed her skin rise into goosebumps and he knew she needed to keep warm, otherwise her hypothermia would worsen.

He stood behind her and wrapped his arms around her, drawing her into his body. Using their combined body heat was the best and most efficient way he knew to warm her up. He hadn't banked on her skin feeling like he was hugging a block of ice though. His skin immediately broke out in goosebumps and he sharply inhaled as she flinched from the contact.  
"Jesus, Clary! I knew you were cold, but you really should have said something!"  
She looked down feeling guilt rise up in her body. First she made them stranded now she was making him cold. She knew he was cold because his nipples were nearly poking her in the eye.  
"Sorry Jace, I just didn't want to be even more of a burden," she mumbled as she curled into him, absorbing his body heat.  
She marvelled at how he could still be so warm even though he had been soaked to the skin. She turned in his arms and snuggled in closer, her body craving the heat. Her head was resting against the smooth skin of his muscular chest and she could hear his heart beating in his chest to a slow, solid rhythm.  
"Clary, you are never a burden. Don't ever think that," Jace assured her, smoothing down some of her hair so it wasn't trying to infiltrate his nose.  
Clary couldn't bring herself to respond, she knew Jace was just being kind. After all, if they had just done what he wanted they would be safe and warm at home. Instead he had accommodated her wants and wishes and now they were stuck on some stupid island in the middle of nowhere.

"I hate that he has you so self conscious now," Jace said idly.  
Clary's brows knitted together.  
"What?" she asked him in confusion.  
"Verlac," Jace clarified, his voice dripping with venom for the French boy.  
"He makes you scared, self conscious, a mere shell of the confident Clary I know," he told her.  
Clary just looked down, knowing his words were true. She couldn't help it though; she had loved and trusted Sebastian and he had betrayed her in the worst way. He basically told her that she was worth nothing as a person and the only thing she was good for was what using what was between her legs. That was hard for her to come to terms to. She had heard about shitty boyfriends like that before but she never thought she would have one. She also never thought that he would make her second guess everything she knew about herself.  
"It's hard Jace… You don't know what it's like," she murmured finally.  
"I don't know what it's like to be played? To be told that I mean nothing?" he asked her gently.  
She sighed and hugged him a little bit tighter.  
"Kaelie fucked around on me Clary, and there were two ways I could have taken that. I could have curled into a ball and cried about how much it hurt and wonder what I did wrong, or just accept that fact she wasn't for me," he told her softly.  
Clary nodded, she remembered Jace showing up at her door drunk and crying about catching Kaelie with Raphael. She had remembered finding Kaelie the next day and tearing her a new ass hole before Kaelie had said something rather nasty about Jace. Clary naturally responded with violence and ended up suspended for the week.  
"She didn't physically attack you and render you useless though," Clary mumbled weakly.  
"I know, Clare Bear, I know. But that's all the more reason to believe in yourself though. He needed to render you immobile to even get near you. Even that didn't work, because you are strong. You are a fighter and you will not let some fuckboy get the better of you!" Jace campaigned passionately to her.  
She could feel his heart rate rise with his anger and passion and she smiled. Trust Jace to know what words to make her feel better.  
Jace felt her squeeze him a little tighter and he hoped what he said was getting through to her. She deserved so much better than any boy was ever capable of giving her and it made him frustrated. Someone needed to love and cherish her like he did, to show her how she should be treated. He could feel himself starting to get worked up about it so he focused on something else, namely how warm she was feeling. He could feel her skin starting to warm up slightly as a combined effort of his body heat and the fire that was now crackling and popping in front of him. She was snuggled tight in his arms and he felt his sense of overprotectiveness wash over him. Whenever she was in his arms like this she was trusting him to protect her from whatever she needed protecting from and he had promised to always do so.

Clary yawned against his skin and he felt himself following suit.  
"Good idea. We'll wake up in the morning feeling better. We'll set the sails up and head back the way we came," Jace told her quietly.  
She nodded, her head still against his chest.  
"Let's go to bed," he murmured.  
She nodded and pulled back away from his skin, a shiver immediately making its way through her body as her skin readjusted to the change in temperature.  
"C'mon," he said softly and they both crawled into the makeshift tent.  
Clary lay on one side of the sail, using it as a sheet, and Jace slid in next to her, drawing the other half of the sail over them like a blanket. Clary rested her head on the life jacket, surprised at how comfortable it was as a pillow. She felt another shiver rumble through her body and moments later a warm body pressed up to her back. She rolled over and faced Jace.  
"Is this okay?" she asked him softly.  
"Of course, now get closer so I don't have to worry about you dying of hypothermia," he muttered, his arm going around her hips and dragging her closer.  
Clary snuggled in as close as she could to Jace, her head was tucked under his chin and one arm was flung over his side and now resting on his back where she began to automatically trace patterns on his back. He hummed in contentment as he felt some of the tension leave his body under her soothing touch. He rested his arm over hers, so that his hand rested on the small of her back and he began the same treatment. Clary felt her eyelids droop and she tangled her leg in between his, hooking her ankle around his. Now they were basically pressed up against each other, every inch of their skin touching. She could feel his abs against her belly with every breath and their chests pushed against each other with each inhale. It was a rather intimate position but Clary had never felt safer or more relaxed. It took her no time at all to fall asleep in Jace's arms.


End file.
